Most of you will have heard the ancient Greek phrase “The whole is more than the sum of its parts,” a sentence which has infiltrated modern literature and speech as much as anything William Shakespeare ever sprinkled into one of his plays. Loadstar is a perfect modern example of that wisdom.

Made up of Gavin Harris and Nick Hill, formerly and respectively known to the world of drum & bass as Xample and Lomax, this duo has surpassed the highest expectations in recent years by fusing their individual styles and creating a pioneering sound that imbues club dance floors, iPods and huge festival arenas with incredible energy and impeccable musical precision.

Loadstar’s individual parts met while Bristol-born Gavin was studying sociology at Liverpool University and self-admittedly spending more time concentrating on writing and promoting music than attending lectures and writing essays. It was while promoting a local D&B night with a friend that Gavin booked Holdtight, a production outfit that Nick was one-third of at the time. Not long after that initial meeting, Gavin returned home to Bristol from University and bumped into Nick, who had also just moved to town. The rest, as they say, was history.

Or, to be more precise, it was the fusing of two histories. Nick’s involvement in Holdtight was already overshadowed by his consistently brilliant solo releases under his Lomax name. With a propensity for musical and melodic drum & bass, Lomax’s productions graced many of the scene’s most respected labels, but it was his Ram Records debut ‘Artisan VIP,’ single-handedly turned into an anthem by Andy C, which really pushed him to the next level.

Xample’s solo works were also noticed by Andy C and Scott Bourne, owners of Ram Records when he sent them a few demos over instant messenger. Within 10 minutes they got back to Gavin and eventually he signed as an exclusive artist to the label, releasing a string of heavy dance floor killers.

By 2009 Xample & Lomax were sharing studio space and starting to release more and more material together. Combining Nick’s traditional training, courtesy of Goldsmiths University, London, and Gavin’s self-taught production genius, it was clear they had something special to offer the world of dance music. Tracks like 2006’s ‘The Latter’ and 2009’s ‘Contra’ were sowing the seeds of a brand new project.

Every new project needs a new name, and Xample & Lomax made the brave decision to jump headfirst into their new venture with a completely fresh face. Whilst searching for ideas to fuel their imagination and tie in their new name with their upcoming Ram release ‘Link 2 The Past’, the boys sifted through old rave tape packs and computer game cassettes. Then they came across their old Emu sampler, a relatively antiquated piece of machinery that took ages to load each sample. While loading them, the sampler displayed a spinning star, and it’s this which became the inspiration for Loadstar’s moniker.

An instant success, the duo’s incredible new musical direction coupled with the backing of Ram Records ensured that Loadstar’s path to the highest echelons of the scene was assured. And while both Gavin and Nick agree that for the moment they’re rooted in credible, underground D&B, they’re the first to admit that they’re excited about the current state of bass music and its propensity to absorb new genres, styles and tempos at a moment’s notice.

Fans of drum & bass and even bass music in general can be assured that Loadstar have everything it takes to be one of the most exciting acts in dance music today. Years of experience in crafting the highest quality music that’s as happy on your home stereo as it is in huge arenas, a worryingly busy DJ diary that sees them touring the globe with fellow Bristolian MC Texas and support from admiring nightclub-goers, club DJs and the media alike means that Loadstar are undoubtedly spearheading the bass music revolution.

Ed Rush & Optical (aka Ben Settle and Matt Quinn) contributed severely to the evolution of drum & bass long before their studio partnership was born. Ed Rush helped mold the techstep sound as far back as 1993, collaborating with No U-Turn label boss Nico Sykes on the seminal track 'Bloodclot Artattack', and his tracks were featuring heavily in the sets of premier DJs and his beats signed up by an array of labels including No U-Turn, Metalheadz and Prototype, with tracks like 'Kilimanjaro' and 'Skylab' truly cementing his place as a drum & bass pioneer.

Optical's path to the top of drum & bass was somewhat different but equally pivotal. After graduating from the free party scene Optical spent years developing his unique engineering skills, setting up Metro Records with his brother Jamie (aka Matrix) along the way. His first release on the label was the mighty 'Shining' and it wasn't long before massive releases on Metalheadz ('To Shape The Future') and Prototype ('Moving 808s') firmly instilled his name in the minds of DJs and producers everywhere.

In 1998 Optical took on the mammoth task of engineering Goldie's second artist album 'Saturnz Returnz' ' a task very few producers would be capable of. In the same year he also found time to apply his production skills to Grooverider's debut album 'Mysteries Of Funk' and was given production credits on Dom & Roland's debut long player 'Industry'. And then came the meeting of minds. When Ed Rush & Optical first got in the studio together the resulting cuts were mind-blowing. 'Funktion' and 'Naked Lunch' on V Recordings were a breath of fresh air to a scene flooded with sub-standard jump-up records and were battered by every DJ worth their weight in dub plates. In the knowledge that they were on to something special their own imprint Virus Records was born.

After releasing several quality 12's the duo created what is still considered to be one of the most important drum & bass albums ever ' 'Wormhole'. This claustrophobic, funk-fuelled collection still sounds as fresh today as it was then, with notable classics such as 'Compound' and 'Point Blank' setting the standard that many are still trying unsuccessfully to duplicate today. At this point in time remix offers were coming flooding in with Roni Size's 'Watching Windows' and Ram Triolgy's 'Mindscan' being the most sought-after of their re-workings. The post 'Wormhole' era also saw them step-up their DJing schedules immensely as the duo became more and more in demand.

Skip to 2001 and the second Ed Rush & Optical album, 'The Creeps' takes the duo to new production heights. For the first time they collaborate with vocalists, most notably MC Rhymetyme on the stunning 'Resurrection'. The biggest tune from the album was the heavyweight 'Pacman', with its Ram Trilogy remix giving the Virus imprint its first national chart placing. The album was swiftly followed by the massive 12 'Kerbcrawler' that borrowed loosely from a house tune but was rinsed by drum & bass DJs everywhere.

2003 saw the third long-player appear from the duo. 'The Original Doctor Shade', in their own words was more like Wormhole and was more fun to make. MC Rymetyme returned to the fold on the bleep 'n' bass of 'Why' alongside MC Darrison, plus there was a tidy collaboration with hip-hops finest ' the Scratch Perverts.

Today their DJing commitments span the four corners of the globe and we can expect much ground-breaking material to come from the Virus Recordings camp.

Calgary favorites and regular headliners at the massive Village Stage at Shambhala they are back once again to cement their legendary status!:)

It was a big relief for his parents when James Pountney – aka Culture Shock – got his first sampler and sequencer and started producing drum and bass. At last, it took him away from dismantling electrical appliances to find out how they worked, and distracted him from improvising with violin, Clarinet or drums - that to his own account he used to play ‘at mediocre level’.

James was brought up in a musical household with both parents involved with opera, and always showed a healthy curiosity about music, listening to anything from Jazz to house. He got hooked on drum and bass at around 10, when he first heard the music in 1996 on pirate radios. To his own words, ‘it sounded totally alien’ and he was blown away. He started reading music technology magazines, managed to set up a basic studio and started experimenting.

James’ first release happened thanks to his father, who often worked with Dom (of Dom & Roland’s fame) dad. The result was the 2004 ‘Vega EP’ on Moving Shadow. It was well received but unfortunately the seminal label stopped releasing music and it was another two years before James found another home with the legendary Ram Records.

Impressed by the production skills displayed on the Vega EP, Andy C followed the progress of the young producer and ended up signing him to his label, with the first track ‘The Bypass’ – one of Optical’s favourite tunes - appearing on 2006’s Dimension EP and getting tongues wagging on the scene.

James was then given the chance to make his own EP, and ‘the third stage’ was released in summer 2007. It included the suave ‘Rework’, produced in partnership with the Brookes Brothers, and a brilliant electro-breaks track ‘Asteroids’ that fits well with James’ open approach to music: ‘I’ve been into drum and bass for a long, long time – he recently told Knowlede magazine - That is great but it’s all about bringing in influences from elsewhere. I am really into all electronic music and I listen to a lot of techno and electro’.

With signing Culture shock to its prestigious stable, Ram are nurturing yet another talent destined to expend the boundaries of the scene.